The Norwegian Football Federation (NFF) will make a formal complaint to FIFA over the controversial decision to suspend the one-match ban handed to U.S. men’s national team’s Folarin Balogun, which was allegedly influenced by contact from the White House and President Donald Trump.
Balogun was sent off after accidentally raking his studs down the Achilles of Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemović, in an action that was deemed by the officials to constitute serious foul play. World Cup rules stated the USMNT had no grounds to appeal Balogun’s suspension—which FIFA confirmed postmatch—but a dramatic U-turn was made after a call from Trump, which allowed Balogun to face Belgium in the round of 16.
“When you bend a rule like this, you’re on a slippery slope that will put the whole game at risk,” Lise Klaveness, president of the Norwegian Football Federation, told The Times. “It is a worry for the game when you compromise fundamental rules of the game.
“First of all, it should not have happened. It is very important now to have honest communication around it. We all know that this verdict was influenced from external forces and did not have the proper process. We need our leader in FIFA to say that this was an error.
“If you start to adapt in such a way towards state leaders and state politics, you will move your behavior and the organisation’s behavior, and also the red line of what states’ leaders should interfere with. And that happened.”
Lack of Transparency Over Balogun Case ‘Not Surprising’
While the involvement from Trump and the White House sparked an issue in itself, concerns were also raised when it emerged just one member of FIFA’s 18-person disciplinary committee was involved in the decision to suspend the ban.
“When you make controversial decisions, and when there has been an external, very powerful voice in your ear, it’s very important that you have more voices [making the decision],” Klaveness added. “And if you don’t, it’s a mistake.
“This case was so serious and so worrying that I hope that it might contribute to bring people out a little bit and don’t fear to bring up cases. I will bring it to a board meeting and discuss with my board, and then we do it. To me, it should be in the same sphere of ethical complaint.
“To try to sweep this under the carpet now will not fly. Too many felt this—coaches, players, fans—that this was too close to the game.”
Norway’s Previous Complaint to FIFA
FairSquare, a non-profit organization, complained to FIFA’s ethics committee in Dec. 2025 accusing FIFA president Gianni Infantino of breaching regulations surrounding political neutrality, even demanding an investigation into the decision to award the first-ever FIFA Peace Prize to Trump.
Klaveness and the NFF subsequently backed the complaint, criticizing Infantino for making the decision over the Peace Prize without consulting the FIFA council. No fewer than 50 members of the European Parliament requested a formal response to the complaint as recently as June.
With the case yet to be publicly acknowledged, Klaveness intends to add the issue surrounding Balogun’s suspension to her existing case.
President Trump ‘Eyeing U.N. Role’ for Infantino
Fresh questions over the relationship between Trump and Infantino emerged following a report from the New York Post that claimed Trump wants the FIFA president as the next secretary-general of the United Nations.
“Only President Trump could have such a genius idea,” Paolo Zampolli, Trump’s special envoy for global partnerships and a personal friend of Infantino, commented.
“At the United Nations, you have to deal with 193 member states. In FIFA, there are over 200 members [and] Gianni’s great record shows he knows how to manage.”
The position will become available in December when António Guterres plans to retire. Anybody looking to replace him would need the endorsement of the 15-member security council. Whether Infantino, who plans to stand for re-election as FIFA president next year, is interested in the job is unclear.
